


Kisses

by nana_banana



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, No Sex, Oneshot, Post-Canon, Puzzleshipping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-04-04 00:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4120093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nana_banana/pseuds/nana_banana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are multiple kisses and Yami's various emotions. One of them being mind crush, the others full of Yuugi Mutou.</p><p>Also, Yami in a skirt.</p><p>Or the four times Yami kissed Yuugi and the fifth time Yuugi kissed back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Basically my Yami headcanons. I apologize for this trash beforehand. Enjoy.

The first time Yami kissed Yuugi, he had not intended to do it. It had been an accident. Yami had only been trying to get some heat from his sleeping partner. Beside him, Yuugi was warm and comfortable (and snuggled under all of the blankets he had stolen, as usual), so Yami snuggled close and carefully pulled Yuugi to him, so as to not wake him. The sleeping boy protested the movement and Yami quickly kissed his shoulder and made comforting hushing noises to lull him back to sleep.

Upon realizing what he had done, Yami froze and his comforting stopped. He had … he had _kissed_ Yuugi. With his shocked stillness, Yuugi settled down beside him, soft snores leaving him once more.

Yami moved away and rolled onto his back, suddenly completely awake. He laid there, cold, with confusion rushing through him. Beyond that confusion, he felt his heart begin to race with something akin to panic. Yami did not understand why his heart was beating so quickly, but he did not think it was normal. He was alarmed by it and tempted to wake Yuugi for help. But he did not wake Yuugi for there was still the troubling matter of the kiss he had pressed against his aibou's clothed shoulder. He did not really understand what he was feeling, for that matter. He tried sorting through his confounding emotions, achingly aware of Yuugi's warm, sleeping body next to his own chilled one.

He had kissed Yuugi. He did not know why he had done it. Sure, he had seen the action done in movies, but it was an action between lovers, not friends. None of their friends did things like that. And Yuugi was his friend, not his lover. Right? Why had he done such a thing? Why had it been so instinctive? Yami groaned quietly, deciding that he would think on it in the morning. He was tired and he needed rest.

Yami forced his eyes closed and cleared his mind as best he could. But try as he might, he did not feel sleepy. He felt tired, but sleepy? It was almost as though his mind had never heard of the word before as the thoughts continued buzzing busily in his head. He tossed and turned and huffed, silently berating himself, until, finally, Yuugi hit him with a pillow.

“Ah!” he cried out in surprise.

“Go to sleep already,” Yuugi grumbled as he pulled the pillow back underneath his head, “or go to your own room.”

“You're awake!” Yami gasped.

“Well, now I am,” Yuugi yawned. “All your moving around woke me,” he whined. He did not like being woken before he absolutely had to be. Yuugi was not a morning person unlike his other half who seemed to be up as soon as the sun's rays broke through the hazy skies of night.

“I am sorry, aibou,” Yami whispered in the dark. “Please forgive me. I can't seem to fall asleep.”

Yuugi yawned once more and turned onto his other side to face Yami even though he could not see the other through the dark of the room. He settled comfortably, reaching out a hand to touch Yami's arm. He let his hand rest on the bicep and Yami recognized the touch. The little duelist had done it on several occasions while they slept and Yami had figured out early on why his partner did it. Yuugi was reassuring himself that Yami was really there.

“Wanna talk about it?” Yuugi mumbled. His hand squeezed Yami's arm unconsciously and Yami reached over himself to place his hand over Yuugi's. He felt Yuugi's hand relax immediately.

Yami tensed at the question when it registered in his mind and shook his head.

“...no,” he said lowly, “it's not important.”

“If it's not important, then why can't you sleep?” Yuugi pried.

Yami was quiet. His partner had a point. But to tell Yuugi what was bothering him … that could not be a smart move, could it? Would Yuugi understand his confusion and explain what was going on? Would Yuugi know how to fix his pounding heart and flipping stomach? Would Yuugi be angry about the kiss?

Yami did not know the answers to any of those questions and it irked him. Usually, Yuugi would come to him for help, not the other way around, though, with his new state of being, Yami was finding their roles severely reversed. No, he was sure he could solve it himself. He could do it. He just needed a little time to figure it out.

“...mou hitori no boku?” Yuugi whispered and shuffled closer. Yami was abruptly reminded of how cold he was when Yuugi's warm chest pressed against his cold arm. Yuugi must have felt the chill on his body because the next thing he did was drape the covers over Yami, including him in the warmth. Yami was grateful.

“Hm?”

“You've been quiet a really long time,” said Yuugi with concern, “Are you okay?”

“I could just have been sleeping, aibou,” Yami said, feeling guilty for worrying his friend.

“Nope,” Yuugi said, matter-of-factly, “you snore when you sleep.”

And with that comment, Yami's troubles were wiped away.

“I do no such thing,” he grumbled.

Yuugi only giggled.

* * *

“How's the transition going?” the voice said as soon as Yuugi answered the phone.

Yuugi peered around the corner into the kitchen where the other him was arguing with the toaster and sighed into the phone, fingering the cord attached to it.

“As well as can be expected, I suppose. He's fighting with the toaster again.”

“Well,” laughed the voice on the other line, “just give it some time, Yuugi. He's a three-thousand-year-old pharaoh in the modern world after all.”

“Yeah,” Yuugi agreed as he watched his other self search through the kitchen drawers, “I still can't believe he stayed though. Or, well, that the gods let him stay. Sometimes I feel like I'll wake up one morning and he won't be there and find out that I just imagined everything. That he actually left to the afterlife and I just snapped or something like that.”

“Wow, Yuugi,” breathed the voice, “I'm not sure what to tell you.”

Yuugi bit his lip and groaned.

“Yeah, I know. It's just weird. He's real now, like _solid_ and I guess I'm still getting used to it. I'm so used to just talking to him in my head that I don't realize I'm doing it in the middle of a conversation and he always just smiles and tells me that I stopped talking.”

“It's going to be difficult for the both of you, you know. Don't feel guilty about it because I know you are. He's not the only one dealing with change, but also don't forget that he needs you to guide him now.”

“Not that he'll ever admit it,” Yuugi grumbled.

The voice laughed. Yuugi watched as the other him took up a fork and stomped over to the toaster. Yuugi gasped.

“Other me, no!” he shrieked in panic, dropping the phone as he ran over to stop his other self from getting himself electrocuted. When he finally stopped his other from accidentally killing himself, he showed him how to pop up the toast and went back to the hanging phone.

“Sorry about that, Anzu. Mou hitori no boku almost –”

It was then that Yuugi registered that Anzu had hung up. With a sigh, he decided to call her back later. It wasn't the first time that he had abandoned a call to stop his other self from doing something dangerous. He supposed that his friends were used to him suddenly panicking and leaving them hanging by now. Yuugi hung up the phone and entered the kitchen to see the other him tossing the badly-charred toast into the garbage, his face pulled into a grimace.

“I hate that thing,” his other self muttered as he placed the plate into the sink.

“You just need to get the hang of it,” Yuugi said sensibly.

“If I still had my powers, I'd send the damn thing to the shadow realm,” the other him grouched.

“Even if you had your powers, the toaster doesn't have a soul to send to the shadow realm, mou hitori no boku.”

“...let me pretend, aibou.”

Yuugi only smiled and retrieved things from the fridge to make a rice omelette. His other half had tried to make toast, but that was apparently out the window by now and he didn't seem to be in the mood to try again.

“Oh, what are we making today?” Yami asked eagerly when he noticed Yuugi pulling eggs and ketchup, and other ingredients from the fridge. He loved to help Yuugi cook as long as whatever they were making didn't involve the toaster, the mixer, the microwave, or the blender. Those contraptions always pissed him off. He was fine with the stove as long as he did not have to use the oven. He still could not get the thing quite right. He was also semi-proficient with the rice-cooker.

“Rice omelette,” Yuugi chirped happily. It was both his and his other self's favorite breakfast dish. And, as he expected, his Other's face lit up with a smile.

Together, they cooked and Yuugi noticed that the other him was doing much better with the egg folding. The omelette was almost symmetrical this time.

“You're doing much better, mou hitori no boku.”

His other self grinned at him proudly.

“It's because I have such a great teacher!”

Yuugi blushed at the compliment and looked away from that grin. He knew his Other would understand his bashfulness. He always had. Although, lately, his other self had been complimenting him more and more with sly little grins. Yuugi was starting to suspect that the other him _liked_ to embarrass him.

Yuugi waited as Yami clumsily slid the second omelette onto a plate and helped him take the plates to the table. Yuugi served them orange juice and they both ate quietly.

 _Even your cooking is improving,_ Yuugi thought cheekily, looking up to smile at his darker half.

Yami paused in his chewing to smile back, cocking his head to the side curiously.

“Is it good?” he asked.

“Yes,” Yuugi said, embarrassed that he had done it again and spoken to his other half in his mind, “you got the salt just right this time.”

Yami straightened in his chair, looking significantly pleased as he continued to eat.

“And no egg shells,” Yami remarked before wincing and pulling a small white piece from his mouth. “Wait, nope, never mind.”

They finished eating and Yuugi suggested they relax in front of the television before they had to meet with Jounouchi. Yami readily agreed and waited as Yuugi washed the dishes because he refused to let Yami do it. Said something about Yami wasting too much water and something about a water bill, which Yami didn't really understand. Yuugi also tended to bring it up when he showered. Regardless, he went with it anyway because he trusted his aibou to know what he was doing.

After washing the dishes, they headed into the living room where Yuugi plopped down into the sofa and Yami sat in a more sedate manner. Yuugi turned on the television and began to flip through channels, pausing occasionally on a movie or cartoon before handing the remote to Yami.

“Nothing interesting is on,” Yuugi sighed, “choose whatever you want, but, _please_ _,_ no more infomercials.”

Yami took the remote with a slight frown. He wasn't sure what Yuugi had against infomercials. They showed such amazing things. Knives that could cut through cement and then easily slice through a tomato! Magical powder that made stains vanish! Little roller things that picked up all kinds of stuff that could be wiped off with only water! Things that Yami never knew could exist, wondrous things! Yet all Yuugi did was roll his eyes and ask him if he wanted popcorn, to which Yami would say yes and find himself soon joined by Yuugi with a large bowl of popcorn. Sometimes, even Yuugi's mother joined them. She appeared to like infomercials as much as Yami.

His little partner would always end up falling asleep on him and Yami would pat his head and watch TV long after Yuugi's mother and grandfather had gone to bed, until Yuugi woke and told him they needed to go to bed. Yami would then put up a fuss and Yuugi would have to wrench the remote from his grasp, turn off the television, and drag him upstairs to bed. He did have to say that because of this, his little Yuugi was beginning to put on some muscle. In the beginning, Yuugi was not able to even budge him and had to resort to drastic tickling measures to get Yami to comply. Now, though, Yuugi could successfully take the remote, at which point, Yami would pout and listen to his aibou or risk getting tickled until he was about to pee himself.

Yuugi's grandpa and mother did not appreciate being woken by shouting, panicked laughter as it was.

Yami quickly found an infomercial of a machine that could seemingly glue stones and metal to clothes. Yami was fascinated, but one look at Yuugi's unamused face and Yami changed the channel to another infomercial.

“Look, aibou! Magic cloth! It lifted that soda right out of the piece of carpet!”

Yami turned to see Yuugi's reaction to the wondrous cloth, but Yuugi was not even looking at the television. He was staring straight at Yami with a soft smile on his face. The boy chuckled at him and sighed before looking to the screen.

“Yes,” he said, “it is pretty amazing, isn't it?”

Yami beamed.

They watched a couple of infomercials until Yami noticed the time on the VCR. Somehow, even though Yuugi and his grandfather were from this modern era, it had been Yami, the three-thousand-year-old pharaoh that had successfully (accidentally) managed to input the time to make it stop blinking twelve o'clock.

Yami turned to tell Yuugi that they were to meet Jounouchi soon, but did not say anything when he realized Yuugi was fast asleep.

A soft smile came to his face and he debated on waking Yuugi or letting him sleep. On the one hand, he did not like being late anywhere, on the other, he was sure Jounouchi would be a little tardy himself and would not mind if Yami let Yuugi nap for a few minutes more. With a long look at Yuugi's sleeping face, Yami stood and grabbed the blanket draped across the back of the couch and carefully covered Yuugi with it.

He kneeled at his partner's side and his thoughts returned to the previous night. He had unintentionally kissed Yuugi. But it had not really felt bad or wrong at all. It had felt normal. He could recall movies he had seen where a parent would kiss their child before bed and Yami wondered if that could have been what he felt.

For so long, he had protected Yuugi and looked after him. It was only natural that he had formed a type of filial bond, right? Yami leaned forward and pressed his lips to Yuugi's forehead. He laid a gentle kiss there and moved away. Yes, he was certain it was a familial thing. Yuugi was someone he cared deeply about. It was normal.

Yami returned to his seat and Yuugi woke, yawning.

“How long was I asleep for?”

“Just a few minutes, I think.”

Yuugi sat up and brushed the blanket away, rubbing sleepily at his eyes.

“We gotta meet Jounouchi. We should go.”

Yami nodded and turned off the television. The little machine that decorated clothing with jewels and studs was a marvelous thing. They had not had anything like that in Khemet. Yami wondered if Yuugi would get it for him if he asked.

The pair left the game shop and made their way to the mall. And like Yami figured, Jounouchi was running late. Yami wanted to go look in the shops, but Yuugi did not want him to wander off alone. Yami understood. He did not want to call any unnecessary attention to himself, especially when he called enough attention by looking like a foreigner with his brown skin. And it was when people stared at him like he were something unusual that made Yami miss being an unseen spirit. Then, no one had been able to see him. Yuugi had been his shield. Now, he was bare to everyone's gaze and it was not a pleasant feeling. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Jounouchi can find us if we stay in the stores close by,” Yami said. He really wanted to explore and finally get some clothes that he liked. Currently, he was wearing what Yuugi had bought him three months ago when the gods had granted him his wish to stay with a whisper in his head that said it was his reward for bringing balance back to the world. Yami had only been too happy to accept his reward. After Yuugi and his friends had gotten over their shock, Yuugi and Ishizu had taken him shopping for clothes as he called way too much attention in his pharaoh garb.

At the moment, he wore black jeans and a black button-up shirt. It was one of his only decent outfits as he had spent the majority of the time squeezing himself into Yuugi's sweatpants and larger t-shirts, much to Yuugi's annoyance since Yami had stretched out many of Yuugi's shirts and had insisted on having Yuugi cut off all the tags because they were itchy. Back in Egypt, there had been times when he had even borrowed Malik's own clothes, since Malik's wardrobe had so much more color in it (and not to mention, he was much closer to Yami's size), much to the fellow Egyptian's amusement.

It seemed like ages since then. Yami had endured a long month in Egypt, waiting for Kaiba and Ishizu to get him proper identification and a passport. Legally, he was a member of the Ishtar family. A cousin or a brother. He was not entirely sure anymore. But when asked if he wanted to stay in Egypt, near his home, he had said that his home had been gone for three millennia and that his new home was with Yuugi, at his side. He had gotten a couple of odd looks and a brilliant blush from Yuugi at that, but no one had explained what he had said wrong. But then, he had not bothered to ask.

“I suppose we can browse around nearby until Jounouchi gets here,” Yuugi said thoughtfully.

“I'm here! I'm here!”

Both boys turned to see Jounouchi rushing over to them, looking a little worse for wear.

“Gomen! I overslept!”

“Jounouchi!” Yuugi scolded him and Yami pointed to his shirt.

“I thought this was supposed to go on the inside.”

Jounouchi reddened and quickly took off his shirt, turned it inside out and put it back on.

“Jounouchi, we're in public!” Yuugi groaned. Yami noticed that people had turned to gape as the blonde finished fixing his shirt. He sighed. He did not want to deal with staring already. Yuugi grabbed his hand and began to tug him along to a store. Yami was grateful as his Yuugi led him away from the staring.

“So why are we at the mall?” Jounouchi asked.

“Mou hitori no boku only has two outfits, Jounouchi. And he hates them, but he refuses to say so because he doesn't want to hurt my feelings.”

“That is – Yuugi, I – you _knew?”_

Yuugi laughed and nodded.

“Hai, I knew. You're the other me and it's okay. Also, your poker face sucks. They were supposed to be only temporary clothes anyway.”

Yami flashed a brilliant smile to Yuugi, glad that his aibou was not offended, though he felt slightly insulted by Yuugi's comment about his poker face. He had a flawless poker face, _thank you very much_ _._ Yuugi did not know what he was talking about. Never mind that Yuugi constantly called his bluffs when they actually played poker together; it meant _nothing._ Beside them, Jounouchi laughed at the pair of them.

“Oh, man. But hey, guys, maybe you should keep it down on the whole mou hitori no Yuugi thing. Don't want any unnecessary attention.”

Both Yuugi and Yami nodded.

Yami soon found himself in a department store filled with different types of clothing. It was large and Yami suspected that he could easily get lost in the place. He followed after Yuugi and Jounouchi, looking around with wonder. Yami was passing a couple of racks when he paused and took hold of a white article of clothing. He held it out and tilted his head to the side in contemplation. He liked it. It reminded him of the _shenti_ he used to wear in Khemet, though this looked much nicer.

When Yuugi noticed his other half was not at his side, he got Jounouchi's attention and looked around.

“I thought you were holding onto him!” Jounouchi mumbled and Yuugi sighed.

“He's really good at sneaking away unnoticed,” he said and finally spotted his other self's flaming red hair in the women's section. He pointed and both he and Jounouchi headed over. Yuugi paled at the sight of his other self holding up a flowing, white, sheer skirt.

“Atemu,” Yuugi's brow creased. He bit his lip, “what are you doing?”

Yami looked around at Yuugi's voice and held out the skirt.

“Look what I found!” he said brightly, looking proud of his find, “I like it.”

Immediately, Jounouchi burst into giggles and Yuugi tried his best to keep a straight face.

“Atemu … that's a girl's skirt,” he explained, feeling a little embarrassed. This was why he had invited Jounouchi along. He needed someone “manlier” to help Yami. He elbowed said friend and Jounouchi shook a hand at Yami, who looked baffled by Yuugi's words.

“Dude, you can't wear that. That's for girls.”

Yami only looked more confused.

“For girls? I don't understand. I used to wear something like this in Khemet.”

“But that was like three thousand years ago,” Jounouchi insisted, “Times have changed and you can't wear that anymore. It's for women only.”

Yami frowned at them.

“But it's clothing.”

Jounouchi shook his head.

“It's not manly.”

“It's _clothing_ _,”_ Yami repeated, still puzzled as to why he could not wear the nice, white so-called skirt. “That man in that movie with the wedding was wearing one and it was green and _much_ shorter.”

“That's different, that was a kilt,” Yuugi explained gently, “in that man's culture, men wear that.”

“What's the difference? It's the same thing? In _my_ culture, we wear this, and I've got way better legs than that man did.”

Yuugi looked helplessly to Jounouchi and Jounouchi took a breath.

“Okay, Atemu, think of it this way. Makeup is for women so they can look pretty. That piece of clothing there is also for women so they can look pretty. You are a man and men don't wear makeup or skirts.”

“Makeup?” questioned Yami.

“Like what Anzu wears on her eyes and lips.” Yuugi said and mimed putting on lipstick and eyeliner.

Yami only blinked at them. He was so lost. These things that Yuugi and Jounouchi said were not for men were things he had worn in Khemet. His servants had painted his lips with red and eyes with kohl, blue, and green.

“I used to wear that too,” he stated, “I don't understand what the big deal is.”

“It's not manly!” Jounouchi argued, exasperated.

“Why not?” Yami pressed. He needed a damn good reason as to why he could not wear this nice piece of clothing.

“Because it's for women!” Jounouchi's voice was rising with his aggravation ad Yami noticed Yuugi was glancing around with worry, “Men wear pants and get dirty with car grease and mud.”

“But Anzu can wear pants too. So why can't I wear this?”

Jounouchi turned to Yuugi, but the shorter boy only shrugged. He had nothing to add. The blonde turned back to Yami. He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes before taking a deep breath. When he was calm, he opened his eyes and gestured with open palms.

“Look, Atemu, if you wear that and makeup, people will think you're a girl and start calling you names. They'll think you're weak and a homosexual.”

“Why would they think I'm weak? And I don't even know what that other word is.”

“Because only women wear those things!” Jounouchi insisted, “And how do you _not_ know that word? It's when you like other guys.”

“So you're saying,” Yami said slowly, “that women wear these things because they're weak?”

“Well, weaker than men.”

Yami was quiet for a long moment before he narrowed his eyes at his blonde friend, eyes filled with disgust.

“So Anzu is weak? Mai? Your sister? Ishizu? They're all weak?”

Jounouchi appeared dumbstruck. He quickly shook his head.

“No! It's … just – I –” he broke off and turned to Yuugi who raised his hands as a shield.

“Don't bring me into this,” he told the blonde who then glared at his feet, scratching his head in thought. He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. But then he turned to Yami and nodded.

“Okay, you win,” Jounouchi said, “I'll even buy that for you if you want it.”

Yami grinned at him and turned to look for his size. Yuugi smacked his forehead with his palm. It looked like his Other would be wearing a skirt now. But he supposed that his other half had a point. It really was just clothing. However, Yuugi worried deeply about people's reactions.

“Aibou, what's my size? These numbers make no sense to me.”

Yuugi moved to help him, but frowned when he looked at the sizes. He flipped through the sizes with a calculating eye, not noticing when his other self grabbed a second skirt. This one was ruffly, pastel blue in color, with a line of lace going around it and looked like it only went to the knees.

“I have no idea,” Yuugi finally said, looking up, “Just grab the two largest and you'll try them on in the dressing room.” He sighed when he saw his Other doing as he said, with a _second_ skirt before going back to the first one. Yuugi only barely stopped his darker half from looking for more skirts.

“Let's get you other types of clothes too, Atemu,” Yuugi said as he pulled his Other along.

Yami frowned at him. He had only let the name slide because he was more preoccupied with the _shenti_.

“Aibou, it's Yami, remember? I was Atemu when we were one soul. But now that I am only half, it's Yami.

Yuugi looked like he was going to say something, but soon nodded instead.

“Okay, Yami. I just want you know that people will find it a little strange to learn that you prefer to be called Yami when your legal name is Atemu. Don't worry, though, I'll only call you Yami, mou hitori no boku."

Yami smiled and stopped his walking when he noticed a woman's white peasant blouse, similar in texture to the skirts. Yuugi knew at once that Yami would want it as well. Beside them, Jounouchi chuckled. Yuugi wanted to pout at him. Some help _he_ was.

After choosing a blouse, Yuugi quickly led Yami away from the women's section to the men's where Yami could only grimace.

"The other clothing was more colorful. I do not like these."

Yuugi could not help himself when he joined Jounouchi in his cackling. Yami did not understand why they were laughing, but soon had a small pile of what Yuugi and Jounouchi had called "gender-conforming" clothes in his arms. Yami liked them well enough, but he mostly got them for his little partner's sake. He knew it bothered Yuugi that he had gotten the other clothes, but he had honestly liked them. They reminded him of his past and they were really nice. Maybe Yuugi would change his mind eventually?

He did find some semi-colorful clothes in the new section, though they were more plain in their designs and solid, darker colors. Kind of boring, but Yami would look for something to brighten them up with. That was when Yuugi and Jounouchi discovered that Yami was particularly fond of Hawaiian shirts. Pinks, yellows, flowers, birds, so many bright colors and Yami was absolutely delighted. Consequently, Yuugi had to stop Yami from taking the entire rack with him.

When they found the jewelry, Yami knew he had found heaven, although Yuugi begged him to get only a small amount since they were not made of money. Then Jounouchi jokingly introduced him to neck scarves, much to Yuugi's dismay and Yami's utter joy.

“Oh, come on Yuugi,” Jounouchi said, “Let the guy add color to his wardrobe. He honestly can't do worse than those skirts, really.”

Yami was browsing the thin cloths a little ways away, but he could still hear them. Although, he did not think they realized that.

“It's not about him wearing girl clothes, Jounouchi,” Yuugi whispered, “I don't care what he wears. I don't care if he wants a dress and heels! It's about him being different. Different doesn't go well and no one knows that better than me. I got beat up so many times for being who I am and I don't want mou hitori no boku to get hurt. It terrifies me that someone will try to hurt him because he's different. I don't _want_ to stop him from expressing himself, but I'm really worried, understand?”

Yami stopped his browsing. He knew what Yuugi spoke about. His aibou had gotten hurt many times for being gentle and kind and refusing to fight. Yami had even witnessed some of it. He felt bad for making Yuugi worry. He would have to find a way to help Yuugi understand that he would be fine and that there was no need to worry. Maybe he could tone it down in public? Wear the skirts and blouse at home only?

“Yuugi, bud, Yami will be different with the clothes _and_ without them. He's from an era where men wore makeup, skirts, and no deodorant. But he was a _king._ King's don't get bullied. He'll be fine and he's got all of us to help him. Don't worry so much, okay?”

“...okay.”

But Yuugi did not sound okay.

Yami chose some tamer scarves and walked over to show them to Yuugi. The boy took one and wrapped it around his neck with a bright smile. It made Yami's heart hurt to see it.

“You look great, Yami. I think we've got enough. Let's go so you can try those clothes on okay?”

Together, the three went to the dressing rooms where Yuugi and Jounouchi waited as Yami tried on the clothes.

Yami tried on the men's clothes first, without problems and often came out to show Yuugi and Jounouchi. Jounouchi would nod his approval and Yuugi would ask him if he was comfortable. When he was not, Yuugi would tell him to put it on the discard pile or get him a more fitting size.

When it came to trying on the skirts and blouse, Yami contemplated leaving them, but he really wanted them. He tried the blue one on and walked out of his stall.

Jounouchi, who had started to fall asleep in his chair out of boredom, snapped up straight and stared with his mouth open.

Yuugi, on the other hand watched with slightly widened eyes. Yami nervously waited for their reactions.

“Is it weird that I think it looks okay?” Jounouchi asked Yuugi, his eyes never leaving Yami.

“Is it weird that I think he's right about having better legs?” Yuugi responded.

They both gave Yami a thumbs up and Yami felt his stomach unclench and his heart lighten.

* * *

Yuugi soon remembered that they had forgotten about underwear and shoes. Yami immediately protested at the underwear, saying that they were far too constricting, and Yuugi had told him they would get a different kind and ones that actually fit him considering that Yami had been borrowing Yuugi's (and only when forced to wear them).

When they finished that, Yuugi suggested they pay and go to a shoe store, but as they made their way to the register, they passed the makeup counters and Yami stopped in his tracks. Jounouchi groaned, complaining about his feet as Yuugi took Yami's hand and led him over. The lady behind the counter eyed them oddly, but smiled politely.

“Hello,” she said brightly, “Shopping for your girlfriend?”

Yami gave the woman a bewildered look and Yuugi quickly intervened.

“We're just looking, thanks.”

“Please let me know if you need anything,” the lady said politely and moved to the other side of the counter where another customer waited.

Yami looked at the various shades of eyeshadow and pointed them out to Yuugi.

“This is amazing,” he said, “we didn't have so many colors. I didn't know so many could _exist.”_

Yuugi picked up a golden eyeshadow and flipped it to check the price. His eyes widened comically.

“Holy cow, that's pretty expensive for something so small. Girls really do get the short end of the stick … I wonder how Anzu does it.”

Yami looked at the golden color Yuugi was holding and pointed at it.

“I really like that one,” he said.

“Then it'll just have to be this one,” Yuugi said firmly, “we're verging on broke here.”

Yami nodded and frowned as he remembered something.

“Where could I find some kohl?” he asked Yuugi, “And the red stuff for the lips?”

Yuugi looked at him as though his words caused him physical pain. He groaned and sighed helplessly.

“You are going to make me go broke, mou hitori no boku.”

Yami tried to look as apologetic as possible as Yuugi led him to the stuff he had asked for. Yami chose what he wanted, one of each at Yuugi's request, and when they approached the register, the lady from before gave them the same odd look.

“Is this for your sister?” she asked, confused, “Birthday gift? Would you like me to gift-wrap it?”

This time, Yami responded before Yuugi could open his mouth.

“No. They're for me," he said unwaveringly. The lady's smile faltered before she plastered it on again, but it looked forced. Yami dared her to say something with his eyes as Yuugi paid, but she said nothing. When they finished, they found Jounouchi waiting for them on a bench, looking properly exhausted.

“We done?” he whined.

Yuugi shook his head and gave him a wry smile.

“Still gotta pay for the clothes,” Yuugi said softly, “we can go get something to eat right after, though and get the shoes when we're done with lunch.”

“Thank kami,” Jounouchi said and stretched before standing, “My feet are killing me, man. I don't know how Anzu and Shizuka like all this shopping crap.”

Yuugi and Yami both laughed and agreed. They were both feeling tired as well.

Soon enough, they were paying for the clothes and the teenager at the register had been all smiles until she had come across the skirts and the blouse. She had then blinked and shrugged it off before smiling again and bidding them a good day as they left.

Jounouchi perked up then with the thought of food so close and hurried them along to the food court. The rest of the day went by uneventfully in comparison. Yami chose a familiar-looking pair of boots in the shoe store, to which Yuugi had consequently teased him for. Then he had grabbed two pairs of comfortable sneakers, one black, the other white.

Yami had not seemed interested in heels. For that, Yuugi was relieved, but he had liked the ballerina-type slippers. Although, Yami had refused to get them because according to him, women's shoes were torture devices in a pretty package. He had then asked Yuugi to tell Anzu that he was sorry for her feet and that they should gift her a foot massage by a professional for her birthday. They had received plenty of odd looks, but no one had done anything, and for _that,_ Yuugi was extremely grateful.

Afterwards, Jounouchi bid them a good day and both Yami and Yuugi headed home, tired and ready to drop.

That night, Yami skipped watching infomercials and headed straight to bed after his shower. When he got there, he saw that Yuugi was already asleep.

His lips twitched in amusement and he carefully climbed over Yuugi and settled behind him, placing a soft kiss to the back of his neck before falling asleep himself.

* * *

The next day was boring for Yami. He spent the day with Yuugi's grandfather, selling merchandise in the shop while Yuugi was at school. He was displeased to learn that he was supposed to be getting a tutor soon, but Yuugi's grandfather had insisted on him getting an education. Yami had asked if Yuugi could teach him, but Yuugi's grandfather had laughed at his idea and Yuugi had been left humiliated.

Yami sighed as he restocked the Duel Monsters shelves. The shop had become much more popular thanks to Yuugi's reputation. He meant Yuugi's reputation specifically since people did not know he existed. That was perfectly fine with him. He felt much better being away from the spotlight. He liked that Yuugi was the one who was the center of attention. It made Yuugi glow with embarrassment and the boy became so shy. Yami thought it was sweet.

“Thank you for shopping at Kame Game Shop. Please come again!”

Yami looked around and bowed as the customers passed him. They eyed him like every other customer had. He knew it had to do with the skirt. Even Yuugi's grandfather had gaped at him for a long while before turning on his heel and walking away, muttering under his breath about “kids these days”. Yuugi's mother, on the other hand, had looked at him with a critical eye and suggested a gold necklace instead of the silver Yami had chosen.

Yami had counted that as approval. He turned back to fixing up the shelves. He was just finishing when another customer entered the shop. He stood to greet them.

“What the _hell_ are you wearing?”

“Oh, hello, Otogi,” Yami greeted.

Otogi Ryuuji stood in the doorway, face twisted in confusion.

Yami looked down at himself. He was wearing a long-sleeved, faded denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his pleated, chiffon skirt, and his white sneakers. He had left the top buttons of the shirt undone because they felt too constricting.

“Again, I ask you, what the hell are you _wearing?”_ Otogi walked into the shop and stopped a couple of feet away. He was frowning at the ankle-length skirt.

“I'm wearing clothes, Otogi,” Yami said, knowing it would irk the other like it had with a couple of rude customers.

However, instead of becoming annoyed with Yami's reply, Otogi snorted with amusement and shrugged.

“Pretty sure that's a skirt, dude, but whatever floats your boat, I guess. Didn't know you were a crossdresser,” he said.

“A … what?”

Even with Yami's obvious puzzlement, Otogi did not elaborate.

“Anyway,” he said, “I came by to invite both Yuugi and you to the grand opening of my shop in the next town. I'm holding a tournament for Dungeon Dice Monsters and came to give you your invitations personally,” he said as he pulled an envelope from the inside of his vest, “so where's Yuugi?”

“He's in school right now,” Yami said, vaguely wondering why Otogi was not in school as well, “I'll give him your message.”

From the back of the store, a grumpy voice spoke, “What am I, invisible? You kids these days are so rude to your elders.”

Otogi blushed and turned sheepishly to Yuugi's grandfather. Otogi quickly apologized and walked over, staying to talk for a while before he excused himself, leaving the envelope with Yuugi's and Yami's legal name written on it in elegant blue swirls. Yami did not open it. He would leave it for Yuugi to do so.

When Yami glanced at the time, he noticed it was just about the hour Yuugi got out of school. Thinking of his aibou, Yami did not hesitate to ask Yuugi's grandfather for a break to go pick him up.

“My dear, sweet boy,” Sugoroku said with a grand smile, “You can't use your break like that. Please go ahead and get Yuugi and when you return, you'll have a _real_ break, okay?”

Yami nodded excitedly and was out the door before Sugoroku could tell him to change. The old man only hoped that the boy's state of dress did not bring him any unnecessary trouble.

* * *

Yami arrived at the high school just in time to hear the bell ring. He waited patiently by the gate as he usually did, well aware of the stares passersby fixed on him. While he had no problem with the way he looked, it suddenly occurred to Yami that coming to Yuugi's school dressed in a way that had clearly upset the boy was not a wise move. Yuugi could be dreadfully embarrassed, or worse, _ashamed_ of being seen with him.

The thought of Yuugi being ashamed of him hurt Yami. His heart squeezed in his chest and he quickly thought it would be better if he left before Yuugi saw him –

“Hey, Yami!”

Yami froze as he looked up to see Jounouchi heading for him. He grimaced to himself but put on a smile for his friend. It was too late to run now.

“Dude, I'm a little mad at how natural that damn skirt looks on you. You almost look like that bohemian-style whatever it's called.”

“Thank you, Jounouchi, though I am unsure of what you mean by that.” He paused for a second before quickly glancing around, “do you think Yuugi will be upset that I came wearing this? I forgot to change before I ran out the door. I was just so excited to see Yuugi.”

Jounouchi blinked at him before frowning.

“To tell ya the truth, I'm not sure and calm down, man. Yuugi and you live together. It's not like he's been away for a month. He just went to school.”

Yami blushed and lowered his head. He could not help feeling like this. He really liked seeing Yuugi. Yuugi made him happy. Was it so bad that he wanted to spend every moment he could with his partner?

Yami frowned to himself. Maybe Jounouchi was right and he should back off.

“Hai, gomen,” he said, “maybe I should go before he sees me –”

“Yami, you didn't have to come pick me up,” said a familiar voice.

Heart skipping in his chest, Yami turned to see Yuugi rushing towards them, school bag hanging from one shoulder. It looked heavy, but Yuugi was smiling regardless. Without thinking, Yami took it from him when Yuugi came to a stop before him and Yuugi pouted.

“I can carry my own backpack, Yami,” he whined.

Yami opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was going to say was drowned out by loud jeering laughter.

Yuugi stiffened and suddenly pushed at Yami's shoulder.

“We should get going,” he said.

Jounouchi turned his head to the sound, frowning darkly. Yami turned to look as well, ignoring his other half for the moment who was still trying to lead him away.

A group of boys were laughing not far from them. Yami did not get why Jounouchi was glaring at them until he realized that they were pointing at him. They were laughing at him. Yami's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. Had he still had his powers, he would have granted those boys a one-way ticket to hell – uh, the _shadow realm._ But he did not have his powers and Yuugi was with him. He could not risk getting his aibou hurt.

Yami started walking away. Petty little boys were not worth his time.

“What are you, a girl?! Put on some pants, little girl!”

Yami stopped in his tracks and Yuugi grabbed his arm. He was considering making an exception for that day alone. It had been a while since anything interesting happened and Yami thought they were due for some mishaps.

“Yami, please ignore them,” his aibou pleaded, pulling at Yami's arms to get him moving again.

“If you wanna kick some ass, I'll help,” Jounouchi said when he he noticed Yami had come to a stop. “Pretty sure I can take two of them.”

Yami was about to take Jounouchi up on his offer when a new voice joined the din.

“Oh, shut up! What are you, five years old? Grow up.”

It was Anzu. She was standing before the group of boys, glaring each of them down. When one tried to speak, she stepped up to his face.

“Go ahead,” she threatened and the boy backed away, nudging his posse and quickly leaving with several backwards glances to the angry brunette. Anzu did not move until the boys had disappeared from sight. She then turned to glare at anyone else who was watching before walking over to her three friends with a grin.

“Hey, Atemu! Yuugi didn't say you were coming to pick him up,” she greeted happily as she came to stand before them.

“I didn't know he was coming,” Yuugi mumbled and Yami abruptly noticed that his partner was still holding onto his arm.

“It's Yami, not Atemu, Anzu,” Jounouchi spoke up and the girl looked surprised, but she nodded.

“I'm sorry, Yami. I didn't know,” the girl quickly apologized.

“That's alright,” Yami said and looked down at where Yuugi was still clutching his arm. While he did not mind it, he knew enough of his aibou's world to know it was unusual. Yuugi did not cling like this to people and Yami had only ever observed the action done between couples or siblings. Yami felt happy with that thought. His heart fluttered in his chest and his stomach squirmed with giddiness. Yuugi considered him family as well; it was not only Yami who felt that way.

For some reason, he felt relief with the realization. A small flush of pleasure filled his cheeks and he looked back to Anzu who was looking down at his skirt with appraising eyes.

“I like your skirt, Yami. It looks good!” Anzu said as she admired the rest of Yami's attire. She fixed Yami's rolled up cuff so it looked neater and Yami's flush increased. He grinned.

“Thank you, Anzu,” he told her.

Together, the group made their way to the game shop. No one they passed said anything to Yami, though they did not hesitate to look at him with judging eyes. A mother even covered her son's eyes as she passed and Yami was tempted to go back and maybe twirl a little. Though he did not as Yuugi kept a hold on his arm and Yami did not want the boy to remove it.

At the front of the game shop, the group split.

“I have to go take care of some stuff for my parents,” Anzu said, “but hey, Yami, I can't wait to see what else you bought. Another day, yes?”

Yami nodded to her and said, “Of course, Anzu.”

“Bye then!” And the girl was gone with one last wave.

Jounouchi was the next to leave.

“Gotta do some grocery shopping,” he shrugged, “so I'll catch ya later.” And with a mock salute, Jounouchi took off.

Yuugi and Yami headed into the shop where Grandfather Mutou insisted he take a break to eat before he went back to work. Yami only agreed since his aibou tugged him along to the kitchen. When Yuugi dropped his arm to prepare the food, however, Yami felt rather disappointed. They ate together in companionable silence and Yuugi thereafter excused himself to do homework and Yami went back to the shop.

After several more hours of helping out and more staring of various customers, they finally closed for the night and Yami immediately headed upstairs. He entered his aibou's room with a tired smile, only to find said partner fast asleep on the bed. Yuugi was facing down, still clad in his uniform, and Duel Monster cards were lying scattered around him along with the opened invitation Otogi had left them. Yami took in the sight with amused crinkles in his eyes.

“Homework, huh?”

Yami chuckled to himself and quietly closed the door behind him. He approached the bed and plucked up the cards and the invitation. He set them down neatly on the desk by the bed, barely giving the invitation a cursory glance, and then took hold of the sheets. He gently covered Yuugi to his shoulders and patted his tired, little aibou's head. Sighing, Yami gazed down at his partner, recalling the various times he had watched Yuugi sleep as a spirit. Then, he had been frustrated with the knowledge that he could not tuck his aibou into bed or get the cards out of the way and out of his aibou's hair as he had only been a spirit with no say in the physical world. Though, more than anything, it had grated on Yami that he could not actually touch his aibou.

Of course, it was different now that he had been granted a body by the gods. He could touch things, touch Yuugi. He had a physical world and it never ceased to amaze him how warm his aibou was. Yami brushed a hand down Yuugi's shoulder, grateful that he had a body with which to do so. Yuugi meant so much to Yami that sometimes he himself did not understand it.

Looking upon Yuugi's still face, Yami brushed his bangs aside. He leaned down, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. Yami closed his eyes and placed a kiss on Yuugi's soft cheek. His heart thumped in his chest and Yami stayed for a moment too long. The cheek underneath his lips shifted and Yami's eyes snapped open in alarm. He looked down to see two plum-colored orbs gazing at him with amusement.

Heart stuck in his throat, Yami could only freeze in place as Yuugi turned with a rustle of the sheets. When two lips found his own, Yami's heart nearly burst in his chest. His eyelids fell shut and he did not know when exactly he had cupped Yuugi's face. The blood was rushing through his ears and Yami could feel his cheeks burning. But none of that mattered because Yuugi's soft, soft lips were touching his and Yami had never known such a soft, pleasant, amazing feeling such as this. He did not dare breathe or move or do anything to disturb the wondrous new sensation. In the back of his mind, several confusing thoughts were zipping back and forth, making Yami dizzy. But the thought that stood out the most was the one that thought Yuugi's lips were a gift from the very gods.

And _oh,_ Yami understood now.

Yuugi pulled away and Yami opened his eyes to blink dazedly at him. He was tingly all over and he swore his legs had gone numb.

“Don't only kiss me when you think I'm sleeping,” Yuugi whispered and Yami blushed harder.

“...hai,” was all Yami could say before Yuugi kissed him again.

And oh, oh,  _oh,_ Yami definitely understood now. What he felt for Yuugi was not platonic sibling love at all. What Yami felt for Yuugi went  much  deeper and crossed several kinship boundaries that he was suddenly glad did not exist.

**The End**

 

**Author's Note:**

> Ahahaha, okay, so I tried to write Yami and this is how he turned out. My bad. 
> 
> Follow me on twitter [@nanadanonini](https://twitter.com/nanadanonini)! I post writing updates, life tidbits, line excerpts, and more! It's also great to let y'all know if I'm delaying a chapter update! You can also interact with me. ♡


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